who wants tone controls on your next preamp?

Too many variables,,give me tone controls!

I would love a well-executed bass and treble control for my Connie-J PV-11. My purpose is simply to make bad recordings more tolerable. I do not restrict myself to audiophile recordings - I like what I like. But, as my system has evolved, and become more resolving, listening to poorly recorded CDs has become more of a challenge (even as well-recorded albums have become more pleasureable). Presently, I have a Behringer T-1951 parametric EQ in one tape loop. It is wonderfully flexible (and it has tubes!), but a recent speaker upgrade has exposed the T-1951 as much less than transparent. I like my PV-11 a lot. Preamp options with tubes and balance (which I need for several good reasons), bass & treble controls are either used, McIntosh, or Van Alstine. I am not sure that anything other than the top-line Macs would be a real step up from the C-J, and I can't afford that. I am pondering having the C-J modded, which means a long-term committment to it, or looking at something like a used Mac C220. I must have a full-function preamp, with tape loops and phono section (at least MM). I wouldn't mind a remote, either. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this. Thanks to the O.P. for bringing up an important, if polarizing, topic.

I do not need one and I agree with Almarg 100%;a point I never thought of was the extra cost.

Rleff - Most of hi-end preamps don't have tone controls while practically every cheap system has them. It suggests to me, that it is very inexpensive to make it cheap and very expensive to make it right.

I also suspect that nature of recording (or system) deficiency is more complex than "Treble" and "Bass" and using tone controls (that affect whole harmonic structure) can do more harm than good.

I want to hear bassy record bassy and bright recording bright - the way it was intended and not to adjust/normalize them to sound the same.

To hear recordings way as intended would be possible only if we have an ideally universal standard sound/system calibration method. As well, similar taste, preference and listening environment as some have suggested.. imo.